Joseph McDonnell is a widely exhibited and commissioned Modernist sculptor who moved to Seattle in 1998 from New York. “From Amulet to Monument,” his recent survey exhibition, covered work from 1971 to the present, concentrating on smaller-scale pieces, maquettes, pedestal sculptures, and two glass chandeliers.
New York – Lynda Benglis : Cheim & Read
Lynda Benglis’s terrific show of table-top clay sculptures reminded us, yet again, that the New York School’s achievements can be furthered in the hands of a top-notch artist. Benglis, who has studios all over the world, made these works in New Mexico, but she remains a quintessential New Yorker.
Washington D.C.- Sam Scharf: Flashpoint Gallery and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
In Sam Scharf’s two-part exhibition “Nothing is the Same,” two deconstructed telescopes, encased in soft, transparent rubber, were mounted in the windows of two separate buildings and trained on each other, inviting the curious to make a visual connection across G Street NW.
York, Pennsylvania – Andi Steele and Carol Prusa: York College of Pennsylvania
Andi Steele’s Emanate, an ephemeral installation of taut monofilament lines, transformed space into shimmering reflections and hovering shadows. Carol Prusa’s “Liminal Worlds,” a group of highly detailed acrylic hemispheres that clung tightly to the walls, also asserted an influence on their surroundings, though their effect was more subtle.
Cincinnati – Ana England and Steven Finke: Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery
“ Imminence,” a joint exhibition of work by Ana England and Steven Finke, dealt with those certainties we spend much of our lives hoping are not imminent. The resulting work contemplated the beauty inherent in the cycle of life and death.
New York – Emil Lukas: Sperone Westwater
Something mysterious, cosmic, and deep radiates from Emil Lukas’s thread compositions. At times, these works (as large as 78 by 96 inches) appear to be flat. From a distance, they have auras—as though we are witnessing space in slow motion and seeing into and through vast distances.
Garrison, New York – Lorrie Fredette: The Riverside Galleries at Garrison Art Center
Lorrie Fredette, a leading installation artist and sculptor working in the Hudson Valley, is down with disease—or, at least, its representation. Her recent site-specific installation Implementation of Adaptation consists of a structured, mosquito egg-like raft of wax-made pandemics, abstracted, microbial, moist, and poised for dissemination.
Concord, Massachusetts – Michio Ihara: Concord Art Association
The usual downside of minimal art is that, after the initial impact, there’s very little to hold one’s visual attention. Michio Ihara confounds that flaw. Though his work appears simple and disciplined—and minimal—even his static pieces offer a great deal to engage the eye and the intellect.
The Drama of Proportion: A Conversation with Matthew Barney
River of Fundament: Khu, 2014. Production still Matthew Barney is a prolific sculptor. Known for his Cremaster Cycle and “Drawing Restraint” series, he has been taking materials and processes into unknown territories for more than 25 years.
An Te Liu
Toronto Gardiner Museum Objects accrue cultural value like pearls accrue nacre—slowly, through layerings of meaning and time. The works in An Te Liu’s exhibition “Mono No Ma” (mono meaning thing and ma meaning space or gap) explore the act of imbuing superfluous objects—Styrofoam packing materials and casings—with value.
